Asim Ijaz Khwaja, director of the Harvard Center for International Development, speaks at the inaugural lecture of The Andy McWethy ’63 Distinguished Lecture Series in Economics at Pomona College.
Pomona students and faculty gathered in a classroom at Hahn Hall, joining Khwaja and Fernando Lozano, Morris B. and Gladys S. Pendleton Professor of Economics.
Khwaja challenged students to rethink global development strategies grounded in the human experience.
Khwaja invited students to engage deeply with ideas that shape a more inclusive and innovative future.
Pomona College launched the new Andy McWethy ’63 Distinguished Lecture Series in Economics this fall, inviting leading experts to campus to examine complex issues through an economic lens. Designed to foster new ways of thinking, the series aims to expose students to new ideas, strengthen economic literacy across disciplines and spark meaningful dialogue.
For McWethy, a seasoned venture capitalist, the series reflects both his interest in rigorous debate and his commitment to the College. A second generation Sagehen, McWethy is also strengthening his family’s Pomona roots — his parents graduated with the classes of 1934 and 1935 — through his support of this series.
“Students benefit from hearing diverse political perspectives that challenge conventional thinking,” he says. “Bringing a range of viewpoints to campus helps provoke questions and prepare students to engage thoughtfully with the world.”
A Lecture That Looks Forward
The inaugural lecture on Oct. 20 featured Asim Ijaz Khwaja, director of the Harvard Center for International Development and professor of international finance and development. Khwaja shared why he is actively wrestling with the evolution of global development— and what comes next.
Having spent his early years in Nigeria and later moving to Pakistan, Khwaja described a moment that changed everything: a full scholarship to an institute in Boston. That coincidence of timing and opportunity, he said, offered him a life vastly different from that of his peers. “It makes me wonder about the millions of deserving people who never received an accidental chance.”
His talk, titled “From Surviving to Thriving,” extended that reflection — challenging his audience to shift from focusing on poverty alleviation to unlocking human potential. Speaking to a full classroom in Hahn Hall, Khwaja posed questions about why development strategies often focus narrowly on poverty lines, overlooking the millions of people just above them — people with talent and untapped capacity.
“Sometimes the moment that transforms a life is simply when someone shows you that you matter,” he said. “Scaling that impact may define a new chapter of global development.”
Rather than treating people as problems to solve, Khwaja asked his audience to consider what would happen if those in power invested in human flourishing — as a moral imperative and an economic growth strategy.
Looking Ahead
Pomona will hold the second lecture in this series in fall 2026, with the speaker to be announced. Building on the series’ bold ambitions, the College aims to explore topics around redistribution of wealth, reshaping labor and redefining global development.
“The McWethy Lecture Series allows us to bring leading voices directly to students,” says Professor Fernando Lozano, Morris B. and Gladys S. Pendleton Professor of Economics at Pomona. “Exposure to illuminating research and new perspectives helps our community think more critically about how markets function — and how they fail — in different parts of the world.”
As Khwaja’s call to rethink global development made clear, Lozano notes that ideas alone cannot transform the world — but they can ignite the questions that lead to change.
“By investing in dialogue at the intersection of economics and the human experience, donors ensure Pomona students are prepared not just to understand the world, but to shape it.” he says. “We are very grateful to Andy to making this series possible.”
Email Kyle Davis, senior director of development, to learn more about how to make a gift and help bring leading voices to campus.